Evaluating Exceptional Learners

Sometimes when evaluating learners teachers can hit road blocks that could make this task more difficult. A common road block is with disables or English language learners. Teachers question what is the best approach for evaluating these learners.  After reading Grading Exceptional Learners by Lee Ann Jung and Thomas R. Guskey I learned a five-step model that is a fair and accurate grading system for students with disabilities and English language learners.

Step 1- Ask weather the standard is an appropriate exception without adaptions. 
This means can the student still achieve the standard without adaption or change being needed. If this is true then the student will still be graded the same as others. However, with IEP students the team may decide that a student with a disability is unable to meet a standard. If the standard cannot be met then move to step two.

Step 2- If the standard is not appropriate, determine what type of adaption the standard needs.
Students who are unable to meet the standard then make accommodations and modifications to be able to meet the standard. An accommodation of a standard means that the content of the standard remains the same, but the methods can be changed. A modification is when you change the standard itself. If a modification is needed to be made then the next three steps need to be made.

Step 3- If the standard needs modification, determine the appropriate standard.
The standard is what the IEP team believes the student could reasonably achieve by the end of the academic year with support. The IEP team will record the modifications on the students IEP plan on daily classroom routines.

Step 4- Base grade on the modified standard, not the grade- level standard.
It would be a failure to make the student try to meet a standard that an IEP team knows that they can not meet. Instead the teacher should now be dedicated on grading the student to the standard that the IEP team has made.

Step 5- Communicate the meaning of the grade. 
Lastly, the report card should include a special notation on modification. An additional footnote can be added stating "based on modified standards," This will help provide additional information for the modified standard.